The Spanish Association Against Cancer invites you to “play your part” against colon cancer
This morning, an information table was set up at the Health Center in the capital of Bajo/Baix Cinca, as part of the colon cancer prevention campaign organized in conjunction with the AECC.
Currently in Spain, colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women, and the most common when considering cases in both sexes. According to estimates from the Cancer Observatory, 40.203 people in Spain were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2023. Specifically in Aragon, 1.220 new cases were diagnosed last year.
In the context of World Colon Cancer Day, celebrated every March 31, the Spanish Association Against Cancer is launching the campaign 'Play your part in the detection of colon cancer', which aims to increase participation in colorectal cancer screening programs, aimed at the population aged between 50 and 69 years.
The campaign messages are designed to address the reasons why the target population does not participate in screening tests, as outlined in the 'Study on colorectal cancer screening programs' (2023) prepared by the Cancer Observatory, and to increase participation to reach 65% of the target population.
This analysis indicates that the main barriers among people who have not been tested are the lack of symptoms (39,6%), not having received the official invitation to participate (39,9%), forgetfulness or negligence (28,6%) or barriers related to the desire to stay away from medical centers in the context of the pandemic (24,9%) or the perceived saturation in the health system (22,1%).
This screening involves a Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT), a painless, non-invasive test that can be performed at home and detects the presence of invisible blood in the stool. The goal is to identify bleeding lesions, which may correspond to polyps or premalignant or even malignant lesions that would not be detected until the disease is more advanced, when the chances of treatment and cure are lower.
Actions in Aragon
Within the framework of this campaign and on this day, the Association in Aragon will carry out awareness and information campaigns in various primary care centers of the Autonomous Community with two main objectives.
Raising awareness among people aged 50 to 69 with a clear message: screening saves lives. “A few minutes can change your life. Take a simple fecal occult blood test, because 9 out of 10 people can be saved if this cancer is detected early.”
Promote teamwork with primary care professionals, in conjunction with the community-based primary care strategy and its managers in health centers.
This campaign will take place the week of April 8th, with the first day in the three provincial capitals of Aragon and the rest of the week in towns and cities throughout Aragon. (A list will be sent this week.)
Early detection program for colon cancer: the effort of the Spanish Association Against Cancer
The Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Program was created by the Spanish Association Against Cancer. In 2007, the Association supported a research project by Dr. Antoni Castells, which confirmed the Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) as a valid test for colon cancer early detection programs.
In 2013, with public support, nearly 600.000 signatures were submitted to the Ministry of Health requesting that colorectal cancer screening be included in the common services portfolio of the National Health System. In 2014, this test was introduced for use in population-based colorectal cancer screening programs.
With the inclusion of colorectal cancer screening in the National Health System's portfolio, the Autonomous Communities had a period of 5 years to begin its implementation and 10 years to achieve near 100% coverage. Throughout these years, the Association has been working with the Autonomous Communities to accelerate the implementation process and raise public awareness of the need to participate in a life-saving screening program.
2024 marks the 10-year deadline for achieving near-100% coverage by the autonomous communities. However, the lack of updated, verified, and standardized public data prevents us from having an accurate picture of the state of the colon cancer screening program in Spain, which would guarantee, among other things, equitable access to these screenings for the population.
The latest publicly available data on the implementation of the colorectal cancer screening program in Spain dates from 2019 and was provided by the Network of Cancer Screening Programs. Their report, "Evaluation of Colorectal Cancer Screening Programs - 2019," reveals disparities among the autonomous communities in the implementation of screening, with an estimated average coverage of 50%, meaning many regions are not meeting their target.
Participation: another unmet goal
In addition to the need to achieve 100% coverage of the colorectal cancer screening program, it is also essential to encourage participation among the target population. The latest update to the National Health System's Cancer Strategy, from February 2021, sets a target of achieving a minimum participation rate of 65% in colorectal cancer screening programs, in accordance with European Guidelines for Quality Assurance on Colorectal Screening Programs.
In this regard, the Spanish Association Against Cancer points out the need to promote transparency and have updated, verified and unified public information on the levels of coverage and participation that allow to guarantee the equity of the colorectal cancer screening programs, but also of the rest of the existing population screenings (breast, cervix).
